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Ever since I heard Edie Brickell up at Martyrs a few years ago, http://www.ediebrickell.com/, I’ve been wanting to hear Natalie Merchant. For me, these two women epitomize the genre of singers with clear voices, interesting lyrics and good moves on stage.

Natalie performed songs based on poems for children by various poets who were projected on the screen at the back of the stage.
http://www.nataliemerchant.com/

And there were two encores – #1 included four more songs and for #2 there were three more ending with her signature “Thank You, Thank You”. Two hours and 45 minutes of great music and moves. Natalie would be the perfect companion for a week in Aruba.
–
Bruce

I’ve been having a lot of fun attending the music fests in Chicago held in the open air.

Last Thursday, 7/8 at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park there were two African bands – Victor Deme from Burkina Faso & Dobet Gnahoré
from The Ivory Coast. Victor’s band included an modernized Kora, with tuning pegs like a guitar instead of the traditional fiber rings around the neck. Dancing in front of the stage was tentatively permitted. Dobet brought along dancing with her music. http://www.myspace.com/dobetgnahore. There was a lot of energy when she danced. Her yard-long braids swung around like crazy. In one song she strummed the mbira, the finger harp and one of my favorite African instruments.

Sunday at Welles Park, for the Chicago Folk & Roots Festival just South of the Old Town School of Folk Music, I arrived in time to hear Andreas Kapsalis & Goran Ivanovic play their unique Black Sea oriented rock. Hear them again at the Chopin Theater on 7/22. Andreas was followed by a Venezuelan band featuring Leonard Jacome and playing a Venezuelan-Colombian border mix of music called Jororpo. http://www.chicagofolkandroots.org/2010/main/jacome.html Red Baraat, http://www.redbaraat.com/ an Indian funk band was close behind and took the crowd off their butts to dancing bangra and bollywood hits. But (no pun) Les Saltimbanks, a group who characterizes itself as troubadours, sang French dance pieces which kept everyone on their feet, despite a light rain than came over Welles Park. The final group, Etran Finatawa http://www.etranfinatawa.com/ hardly had 15 minutes to play when a lightning storm shut us down.

Monday evening at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millenuim Park, The Budos Band & Caribou performed. The Budos were also at the the Folk & Roots Fest on Saturday, but I couldn’t go that night. http://thebudos.com/music/. The Budos were a great wind band with a full brass ensemble with bass sax. Later a group called Caribou http://www.caribou.fm/ made more sound that should be permitted by any four men. There was a real drum set and some electronic pads.
–
Bruce

I get encouraged every time I see young musicians who value the art of performance. And High School is a turning point for many of them as to whether they pursue further studies. Friday night I had a chance to see the Classical Guitar recital of the National High School Music Institute (NHSMI) held in Lutkin Hall at Northwestern, thanks to two friends who’s son attended NHSMI the this year.

There were seven students in this year’s class. The program included solos, small ensembles and the large ensemble including five NWU grad-student “practice partners” who nurtured the students during their two weeks of study. The program spanned the gamut of classical guitar from Frescobaldi to Roland Dyens with many Spaniards and some Leo Brouwer in between. Two pleasing exceptions to the Latin-influenced pieces were excerpts from the Bach Suite in G Major and the “Theme and Variations on Sakura” by Japanese composer Yuquijiro Yocoh.

The students, whether tentative or accomplished, were joyfully applauded by at least 100 of their peers from other sections of the NHSMI program. More NHSMI concerts and recitals are scheduled for the remainder of July. Check http://www.music.northwestern.edu/precollegecommunity/nhsmi/ and http://www.music.northwestern.edu/calendar/

–
Bruce